What consequences should there be for a sovereign who abandons his duties for personal pleasures?

Contrast the rise and fall of Mortimer with the fall of King Edward II.

Research the role of pageantry in Elizabethan England. How does Edward's interest in pageantry compare with Queen Elizabeth's?

William Shakespeare wrote Richard III about a year after Christopher Marlowe's Edward II was first performed. Look for parallels between the two plays that indicate ways in which Shakespeare may have been influenced by Marlowe. Pay special attention to the structure of the plays, their use of contrasting characters, for example, and speeches.